Ball return for bowling alleys



Oct. 10, 1939. A. EDWARDS 2,175,750

BALL RETURN FOR BOWLING ALLEYS Filed Aug. 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,4itomeys Oct. 10, 1939. Q. A. EDWARDS 2,175,750

I BALL RETURN FOR BOWLING ALLEYS Filed Aug. 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenior Q. vi Iain/(W455 By 2mm A itorneys Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITEDSTATES PATENT ounce 1 Claim.

This invention relates to ball returns for bowling alleys, and has forthe primary object the provision of'a device of this character whichwill increase the convenience to a bowler in obtain- 5 ing balls forbowling and which will conceal from view the balls during substantiallytheir entire travel from the pin end of the alley to the bowling end ofsaid alley so as to not detract or annoy a player while in the act ofbowling and will I provide a safety factor in that the player or otherpersons cannot get in the path of the ball during its travel to the ballrack which is substantially hidden from view and conveniently located atthe player's end of the alley so that a player I may obtain a ball fromthe rack without interfaring with another player in the act of bowling.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure lis a diagrammatical plan view illustrating bowling alleys equipped withball returns constructed in accordance with the present invention. E

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a rear elevation illustrating the ball rack arrangedtransversely of the alley and at the players end of the alley andrearwardly of the players playing position. v

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numera1 5 indicates a series ofparallel arranged alleys having at the pin end thereof the usual commbined ball and pin pit 6. The players ends of the alleys 5 are indicatedby the character I.

This illustration and brief description is for the purpose of clearlybringing out the present invention wherein ball returns 8 are providedfor 5 conveying by gravitation the balls from the pit end to theplayer's end 1 and wherein a number of alleys will be served by a singleball return.

Each ball return 8 consists of double tracks 9 arranged longitudinallyof the alleys and under the flooring of said alleys and each trackterminates at the pin ends of the alleys in a laterally disposed portionIn disposed in a plane thereabove to provide ball receiving portionslocated in. the rear portion of the pit 6 so that the pin 5 setter mayreadily place balls thereon for gravitation to the main portion of thetrack 9 which slopes gradually towards the player's end and terminatesin a laterally extending and upwardly inclined portion ll. Said portionll feeds onto a ball rack 13 extending in an opposite direction to theportion II and in substantially parallelism therewith and terminateswithin a casing 14, as shown at IS. The portions ll of the companiontracks extend in opposite directions and the racks l3 extend towardseach other to terminate within the casing M. The casing M on oppositesides thereof is provided with bumpers The portions H and the racks Bare located between spaced panels ll arranged transversely of theplayers ends of the alleys and rearwardly of the players playingpositions. The connecting ends of the racks l3 and the portions H areconfined within casings l8, as shown in Figures -2 and 3, which casingsare provided with covers i9 obviating any possibility of a playercontacting a ball when passing from the portion H to the rack l3. Only aportion of the rack I3 is exposed between the panels IT, as shown inFigure 3, so that a player may readily reach a ball on the rack. Thecasing i4 is also provided with a cover 20 for concealing the adjacentends of a pair of racks. From Figure 4 which gives an exterior view ofthe panels l1 and casings it will be seen that the balls when on theracks I3 are concealed from view except when looking directly downwardlyon the balls. Thus it willbe seen that the ball racks are located out ofthe way of the players when in the act of bowling but a player canreadily obtain a ball without interfering with another player in the actof bowling.

Referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the tracks 9 have aconsiderable dip or inclined portion 2| so that the balls on leaving theslightly inclined portion l0 may gain considerable momentum by travelingdownwardly over the portions 2i which is suflicient to carry the ball tothe players ends of the alleys and upwardly of the portions ll onto theracks l3. Guard strips 22 are provided for maintaining the balls on theportions ll during their travel upwardly thereof onto the racks l3. Thedownwardly inclined portions 2| of the tracks are covered and concealedfrom view, as clearly shown in "Figure 2, while the major portions ofthe tracks are hidden by passing under the alleys or flooring thereof, asuitable trough 23 being provided in the flooring to accommodate themajor portions of the tracks, as clearly shown in Figure 3.

It is believed that the foregoing description guard panels arranled atopposite sides oi? the rnckzand theupwerdlyinclined portions oithetracksendhavingtheirupperedxeedispceedinnplaneabovesaidracksnndupwardlyinclined portions 0! the tracks, easinzsconnecting the ends or said panels and having the connectinz ends of theracks and upwardly inclined portions confined therein, a casingreceiving adjacent ends of the racks and arranged between the panels,and bumpers carried by the last-named casing and arranged over the racksfor checking m movement of balls over said racks when received from theupper inclined portions of the tracks.

QUINCY A. EDWARDS.

